The present invention is directed to the field of transport dollies. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a foot lever to assist transport dolly manipulation, particularly when heavily loaded.
Transport dolly operators such as the drivers of beer, soda, and water delivery trucks, get paid either by the hour or based on the number of deliveries made in a day. Accordingly, the dolly operators would like to make as few trips as possible to off-load the products at a particular stop. Hence, if at all possible, it would be beneficial to stack the entire delivery on the dolly and make a single visit into the commercial establishment. The major impediment to achieving this objective is the initial “rock back” movement needed to enable the load to be balanced on the wheels of the dolly. Once this impediment has been overcome, the large dolly load can be readily maneuvered or “horsed” into the store by virtue of the mechanical advantage afforded by the wheels.
Applicant's earlier invention disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,235,401 entitled “Lever Assist for a Transport Dolly” is significantly advantageous in achieving this objective for the specialized transport dolly for outboard motors for which it was designed. As noted therein “Clever Lever I” enables a petite 120 woman to move a 350 lb motor from point A to point B. However, even if the “Clever Lever I” was re-designed to adapt to a conventional dolly, for a large beverage distributor or furniture mover, the prospect of scrapping their existing inventory of dollies in order to overcome the hurdles associated with those dollies is considered by many, to be cost-prohibitive.
Accordingly, it is among the objects of the present invention to provide a separate lever assist device capable of being attached to a dolly for a day, month, or life of the dolly and/or moved between a first dolly and a second without the need to replace the dolly. A second embodiment provides a permanently attached lever assist that is superior to similar existing devices. Lastly, a ladder-like extension and extended base plate, which can optionally be provided with an adjustable extension feature, enables the dolly to be loaded beyond anything currently capable with a standard angled base support. As an additional enhancement, the ladder-like member may be coated with pink to promote breast cancer awareness. Due to the difficulty of the “tilt-back” problem, the beverage delivery business is dominated by men. The addition of the “Clever Lever” of the present invention to dollies creates an equalizer that makes delivery truck jobs a whole new ball game for women.
A first feature of the present invention is a foot-operated lever assist mechanism for use on a dolly which has a laterally extending axle mounting a plurality of wheels, the mechanism comprising: a) a laterally extending channel member that extends parallel to the axle of the dolly; b) an angle iron having a horizontal face secured to a bottom surface of the channel member and an angulated face extending at an obtuse angle relative to the horizontal face; c) a foot lever having a vertically extending portion and an angulated portion engageable by a user's foot; d) spring means operable between the vertically extending portion of the foot lever and the angulated face of the angle iron; e) means to secure the foot-operated lever assist mechanism to a dolly, the means to secure including means to engage the laterally extending axle of the dolly. The means to engage the laterally extending axle can comprise an arcuate member which sits atop the axle. One means to engage the laterally extending axle may comprise a series of welds which secures the lever assist mechanism to the dolly.
Alternatively, he foot-operated lever assist mechanism may include a vertical post secured to the longitudinal channel member, the vertical post being adjustably secured to the laterally extending channel member. A pair of hangar arms are attached to the vertical post, the pair of hangars forming the means to secure the foot-operated lever to the dolly. An additional feature of the lever assist mechanism may include an extension member pivotally connected to a horizontally extending portion of the dolly. The extension member may consist of a telescopic mechanism allowing a length of the extension member to be adjusted.
A second feature of the present invention comprises a foot-operated lever assist mechanism for use on a dolly which has a horizontal axle mounting a plurality of wheels, said mechanism including: a) a longitudinal channel member that extends parallel to the axle of the dolly; b) an angle iron having a horizontal face secured to a bottom surface of the channel member and an angulated face extending at an obtuse angle relative to the horizontal face; c) a foot lever having a vertically extending portion and an angulated portion engageable by a user's foot; d) spring means operable between the vertically extending portion of the foot lever and the angulated face of the angle iron; e) a vertical post secured to the longitudinal channel member; f) a pair of hangar arms attached to the vertical post, the pair of hangars forming means to removably secure the foot-operated lever to the dolly allowing the foot-operated lever assist mechanism to be moved from one dolly to another. Each of the pair of hangar arms has a thumb screw threadably attached thereto allowing it to be secured to a horizontal support on the dolly.
A third feature of the present invention comprises a foot-operated lever assist mechanism for use on a hand truck or dolly which has a horizontal axle mounting a plurality of wheels, the mechanism including: a) a longitudinal channel member that extends parallel to the axle of the dolly; b) an angle iron having a horizontal face secured to a bottom surface of the channel member and an angulated face extending at an obtuse angle relative to the horizontal face; c) a foot lever having a vertically extending portion and an angulated portion engageable by a user's foot; d) spring means operable between the vertically extending portion of the foot lever and the angulated face of the angle iron; e) an extension member pivotally connected to a horizontally extending portion of the dolly movable from a vertical, collapsed idle position to a horizontally extended loadable position. The extension member includes a first element pivotally attached to a horizontally extending portion of the dolly and a second member telescopically engaging said first member. A securing means is included to fix the second member with respect to the first member. The foot-operated lever assist mechanism includes a camming member attached to said foot-operated lever assist mechanism facilitating climbing steps with a fully loaded hand truck.
Various other features, advantages, and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent after a reading of the following detailed description.